Thursday, March 18, 2010

The American Rift Valley : Looking Across The Chasm

Early in the 1970's the discovery of Plate Tectonics provided Geography and Geology with the mechanism to understand how Earth's landmasses and Oceans have formed and reformed over the eons. The places where continents split apart and where their parts move away from one another are called Rift Valleys. The valleys are usually very long with high perpendicular valley walls dropping straight down to a flat and widening valley floor.

Any given day now we can see a similar phenomena in our American Culture.
To travel from one side of the Rift to the other requires a steep perilous decent a trip across the valley floor and a steep difficult climb. Of course if or when you get to the other side, you are not welcome or wanted.

Truths About The Others:

1. Always expect the worst from the Others and you will never be surprised.
2. Never try to reason with an Other. They disregard any evidence that conflicts with their beliefs.
3. You can always tell what the Others are up to by what they accuse you of doing.
4. The Others don't debate, they argue.
5. The only standards the Others have are double standards.
6. The Others feel, We think.
7. Whenever you don't understand an Other's motive, just look for the money.
8. The Others cannot be embarrassed. They lack the gene to blush.
9. The Others' creed is, "Do as I say, not as I do.
10. Others get older, but they never get smarter.
11. There are no honest Others. If they were honest -- especially to themselves -- they would not be Others.
12. An Others' business is nobody's business, but everyone's business is an Others' business.
13. The Others have an inflated sense of self-worth. They are like house flies that criticize the air-worthiness of a Stealth fighter.
14. Others lack a sixth sense that is standard equipment in Us -- common sense.
15. The Others never stop hating.
16. There are only two types of Others -- the deceivers and the deceived.
17. Every time Others get on their high horse, they get bucked off.
18. The Others' programs are so wonderful that they have to be forced on people.
19. The Others always choke on their own medicine.
20. When given a moral choice, the Others always come down on the wrong side of the fence.
21. The only way the others can build themselves up is by tearing Us down.
22. The Others not only refuse to admit their mistakes, they refuse to learn from them.
23. The Others can dish it out, but they can't take it.
24. The Others are incapable of attacking the message, so they always attack the messenger.
25. Others' diversity is only skin deep.

Thanks to the Lone Ranger for this list.

Just remember anytime you think the Others just might be like you and can be trusted. Anytime you think that you might be able to work with them to your mutual benefit, then go back and read this list and just substitute Us for the Others because that's what the Others really think of Us.

Just in case the Ranger or I left anything off the list, do you know of anything that should be added? Actually what I really want to know, is there any real agreed upon provable difference between the two sides of the Rift? The only one I have documented so far is that the Conservative side is more likely to be happy (44% to 25% in one study). What else?

1 comment:

drlobojo said...

Well you are right. I did forget to include the Rangers eleven talking points. I'll leave his word "liberal" in place, just change it as you read.

1. Hate makes people stoopid.

2. There is nothing so impenetrable than a closed mind.

3. A stupid person is not someone who can't learn, but someone who refuses to learn.

4. How small is the mind that has no room for God.

5. You can take Stalin out of the gene pool, but you can't take Stalinism out of liberals.

6. The best way to sabotage a bad plan is to follow it to the letter.

7. In order to honestly express righteous indignation, you must first be righteous, and that's a label that doesn't stick to liberals.

8. Ignorance is the cornerstone of arrogance.

9. Which is more racist, to hate someone of a different color or to assume someone is a racist because he is of a different color?

10. Children are not stupid. If a child is taught, the child will learn. If a child is not learning, the child is not being taught.

11. To express righteous indignation, one must first be righteous. And that's a label that doesn't stick to liberals.